Perio & cardio campaign highlights key messages

Patients with gum disease should be told that they have a higher risk of suffering cardiovascular diseases - including myocardial infarction and stroke - and that they should actively manage

risk factors such as smoking, lack of exercise, excess weight, blood pressure, and a diet high in saturated fats and refined sugars. Patients who suffer from both periodontitis and

cardiovascular disease may have a higher risk of cardiovascular complications and should carefully follow recommended dental regimes of prevention, treatment, and maintenance. These are

among the key messages of the Perio & Cardio educational campaign launched on 15 September by the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) and the World Heart Federation (WHF). This

global initiative is centred on the perioandcardio.efp.org site, which contains recommendation documents, infographics, an animated film, and other educational materials - all aimed at

bringing this knowledge to the dental team, cardiologists, medical professionals, pharmacists, and the public. Perio & Cardio is based on a new evidence-based scientific consensus on the

links between periodontal and cardiovascular diseases and expert recommendations on prevention and therapy for both types of disease. All the material in the campaign derives from the

consensus report _Periodontitis and cardiovascular disease_1 - published in February by the EFP's _Journal of Clinical Periodontology_ - which expressed the findings of the Perio-Cardio

Workshop, held in Madrid in 2019, which brought together 20 world-leading experts in the fields of periodontology and cardiology. For more information visit

https://www.efp.org/gum-disease-general-health/perio-cardio/. REFERENCE * Sanz M, Del Castillo A M, Jepsen S _et al._ Periodontitis and cardiovascular diseases: Consensus report._ J Clin

Periodonto_l 2020; 47: 268-288. Download references RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Perio & Cardio campaign highlights key messages.

_Br Dent J_ 229, 408 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-020-2257-4 Download citation * Published: 09 October 2020 * Issue Date: October 2020 * DOI:

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